Cristina Yang
Cristina Yang is a researcher, chief medical officer, and director of cardiothoracic surgery at the Klausman Institute for Medical Research and formerly a cardiothoracic surgery fellow at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. She was raised in Beverly Hills, California and is a graduate of Smith College. She earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of California, Berkeley, and she earned her M.D. from Stanford University, where she graduated first of her class. She did her internship and residency at Seattle Grace Hospital (later Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital). She is best friends with Meredith Grey. She was engaged to Preston Burke, until he left her at the altar. Eventually, she met Owen Hunt, and married him. They ultimately divorced but later kissed, leading to a post-divorce relationship that lasted until Cristina realized he needed to be a father. She was nominated for the Harper Avery Award but did not win because Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital is backed by the Harper Avery Foundation. Early Life Cristina is of Korean descent raised in Judaism (her mother converted upon re-marriage) and a native of Beverly Hills, California. Though being raised in Judaism, she has said she is not religious. Her mother married Cristina's stepfather, Dr. Saul Rubenstein, an oral surgeon, when Cristina was three. Cristina's biological father died when she was nine years old in a car accident. Cristina watched her father bleed out before help arrived, attempting to close his chest with her hands, to try to stop the bleeding. Cristina felt his last heart beat in her hands. She claims this is the reason she became a doctor, and could very likely be the motive behind her interest in cardiothoracic surgery. Cristina graduated top of her class at Stanford University. Season 1 Cristina ended up pregnant after a sexual encounter with Preston Burke. She scheduled an abortion, however, during a surgery with Burke she showed signs of pain and discomfort and collapsed in the OR. Bailey and Izzie helped her out and Addison finally operated on her. One of her Fallopian tubes had burst and she was bleeding out into the uterus. They couldn't save the baby. Earlier, Cristina didn't seem so attached to the pregnancy and tried to convince everyone that she was fine but at the end of the day she finally broke and she cried inconsolably. When Burke came to visit her, they comforted each other. Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 During the hospital shooting, Cristina and Meredith witnessed Derek getting shot in the chest. Without the help of attending, Cristina had to remove the bullet from the aortic valve successfully with Meredith watching. Soon, the shooter found Cristina operating on the man who unplugged his wife and held Cristina at gunpoint, warning that if she continued saving Derek, he would kill her. The shooter shot Owen, who survived his injuries, and as Meredith saved him, Cristina continued to save Derek after Jackson made it look like Derek had died. After the shooting, Cristina was cleared for surgery before Meredith, but had a PTSD episode in the OR, hiding under a table. Derek had to fight for her not to leave the program, insisting that he owed her his life, and she worked with him a neuro for a while. During this time, she and Meredith were fighting, Cristina insisting that Meredith's wails to save her husband were the reason why she was suffering. Season 7 Season 8 Together with Meredith, Derek, Lexie, Arizona, and Mark, Cristina boarded a plane that was supposed to take them to a hospital in Boise where they would assist on a surgery to separate conjoined twins. However, the back of the plane broke off during the flight, resulting in the plane crashing in the woods. After the crash, Cristina's shoulder was dislocated and she somehow lost one of her shoes. She helped a confused Meredith get back up and reminded her what happened. Meredith also couldn't find Derek lying around anywhere, and Cristina remembered that he was sucked out the side when the plane hit the trees, and that the back of the plane came off. Meanwhile, Arizona kept on screaming in pain until Cristina yelled at her to shut up. When they heard a banging sound, she, Meredith, and Mark followed it and found Lexie trapped under the part of the plane that broke off. While Meredith went off looking for Derek, Cristina and Mark stayed with Lexie. Mark popped Cristina's shoulder back in and put her arm in an improvised sling, after which they tried to lift the part of the plane to release Lexie, though they were unsuccessful. Cristina asked Lexie about her condition, and she replied that her legs and pelvis were crushed and that she was not sure her left arm was still there. Both she and Cristina realized that Lexie wasn't going to make it, though Mark convinced a teary-eyed Cristina to go back to the front part of the plane to get fluids and oxygen tanks. Back at the front part of the plane, Cristina gave Season 9 During her final year of residency, Cristina was approached by many hospitals to join their programs. Many offered incentives, such as research labs and funding, as well as fruit baskets and Broadway tickets. While most other residents were flying around the county participating in interviews, Cristina was consent to be wooed and let the heads of department come to her. Following the plane crash, she elected to leave Seattle to work at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Season 10 Season 11 Cristina same back to Seattle to stand with Meredith at Derek's funeral and hold her hand. Personality Relationships * Career Trivia Gallery Notable Episodes Appearances